Monday, December 31, 2018

News

EL PASO, Texas – For the second-consecutive year, the Hyundai Sun Bowl will feature one of the nation’s premier defensive lineman.

No. 24 NC State’s Bradley Chubb will look to help the Wolfpack conclude their successful 2017 campaign against Arizona State in the 84th Hyundai Sun Bowl, which is scheduled for a 1 p.m. (MT) kickoff Dec., 29 at Sun Bowl Stadium.

“We learned last year how much momentum you bring into the next season when you have a great bowl win,” Chubb said. “It’s important for the seniors to have that final victory and for the younger players to have that momentum heading into winter conditioning.”

The Marietta, Georgia native goes into the Hyundai Sun Bowl with an impressive 10 sacks, 73 total tackles and 26 tackles for loss. Chubb’s performance this season led NC State to the seventh-best defense in the Atlantic Coast Conference and the nation’s 28th-best rushing defense.

“I think the energy I bring really helps our defense, in practice and on game day,” Chubb said. “Obviously when I can make a stop in the backfield, it helps our defense, but it’s not an individual thing. The guys inside are giving me the ability to make those plays.”

It’s been an adventurous postseason for Chubb, who’s already attended three award ceremonies, on top of concluding his studies for the Fall semester. Chubb was named the Bronco Nagurski Award winner as the nation’s top defensive player and earned the Ted Hendricks Award as the nation’s top defensive end. He was also named the ACC’s Defensive Player of the Year.

Despite all the postseason accolades, the senior defensive end said he’s only focused on helping the Wolfpack to a Hyundai Sun Bowl victory.

“I’ve definitely had a lot going on in the last several weeks: going to three different awards ceremonies, studying and taking final exams and just spending time with my brothers for our final game together,” Chubb said. “But now that we only have the bowl game to think about, we will be able to give all of our attention to our preparation.”

One of the main areas of focus for Chubb and the rest of the NC State defense will be trying to contain the Arizona State rushing attack. The Sun Devils are ranked 50th in the country in rushing offense, which includes Demario Richard, the C.M. Hendricks MVP winner of the 81st Hyundai Sun Bowl.

“It all starts there,” Chubb said. “In our last two games, we held the opponent to less than 100 yards, so hopefully we can carry that over against a great Arizona State run game.”

Last year’s Hyundai Sun Bowl, included Stanford’s Solomon Thomas, who was named the C.M. Hendricks Most Valuable Player of the 83rd Hyundai Sun Bowl, after tallying seven tackles, two tackles for loss and a crucial sack. Thomas went on to be named a third-team All-American and was the third overall pick of the 2017 NFL Draft.

Chubb appears to be on the same track, being placed as a first round pick in many mock drafts, including ESPN’s Todd McShay, who has Chubb listed as the No. 3 overall pick for the 2018 NFL Draft.

Tickets for the 84th Hyundai Sun Bowl can be purchased by calling 915-533-4416.